Procurement Manager in Milton Keynes

Make a meaningful difference through smarter procurement. At Willen Hospice, every pound matters because every pound helps us support patients and families when they need it most. We’re looking for a Procurement Manager who can bring structure, insight, and strategic thinking to our purchasing and contract management activities. This is more than a procurement role. It’s an opportunity to shape how resources are used across the organisation, ensuring value for money, strong governance, and high‑quality supplier partnerships that ultimately support outstanding care.

Main duties of the job

• Lead and shape a high‑performing procurement function across the hospice.
• Own the full contract lifecycle, from sourcing to renewal and everything in between.
• Build strong supplier partnerships and drive consistent performance.
• Identify cost‑saving opportunities and maximise value for money.
• Oversee contract and procurement system, ensuring accurate and effective management.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, policies, and governance standards.

Job responsibilities

1. Procurement Leadership
   • Create and lead the hospice's centralised procurement function, maintaining consistent policies, processes and governance across all departments.
   • Ensure the hospice is on track with its strategic objective in relation to cost savings.
   • Own and manage the hospice procurement policy.
   • Create, own and manage the clinical asset register including liaising with the Trust and foundations consultant to procure grants for capital equipment.
   • Manage clinical stock reordering and also reconcile NHS invoices with billing.
   • Manage and develop the preferred supplier list and vendor management framework, ensuring robust due diligence and ongoing supplier performance monitoring.
   • Conduct regular spend analysis to identify savings opportunities, rationalise the supply base and support budget holders in making informed purchasing decisions.
   • Champion procurement best practice across the hospice, providing guidance and support to colleagues at all levels.
   • Maintain and develop procurement thresholds, approval workflows and delegated authority frameworks in line with the hospice's financial regulations.
   • Produce regular management information, spend analytics and savings reports for the Director of Finance & IT, the Exec team and the SLT (Senior Leadership Team).
2. Ownership of Contracts & Contract Management
   • Maintain full ownership of the hospice's contracts register, ensuring all contracts are captured, current and accurately maintained.
   • Lead on all stages of the contract lifecycle scoping requirements, tendering, evaluation, award, mobilisation, in‑life management, renewal and exit.
   • Monitor contract performance (in collaboration with contract owners), KPIs and SLAs, proactively managing underperformance and escalating issues where required.
   • Drive contract renewal and renegotiation activity, ensuring continuity of supply and the achievement of best value.
   • Identify and mitigate contractual risk, working closely with the Finance team and, where appropriate, external advisors.
   • Manage supplier relationships at a strategic level, acting as the principal point of escalation for contract disputes and service failures.
   • Ensure all contracts comply with relevant legislation, Charity Commission requirements and internal governance policies.
3. Vantage Contract Management System
   • Maintain and develop the hospice's use of Vantage as a single source of truth for all contractual commitments.
   • Manage automated alerts, renewal notifications and reporting configurations within Vantage.
   • Continuously improve the hospice's use of Vantage for contract management, leveraging system functionality to drive efficiency and compliance.
4. Strategic Contribution
   • Support the development of the hospice's annual procurement plan, aligned to organisational priorities and the financial plan.
   • Contribute to value for money reviews and support the hospice in demonstrating accountability to funders, trustees, and regulators.
   • Keep abreast of developments in charity and public sector procurement best practice and advise on their applicability to Willen Hospice.
   • Represent the procurement function at relevant internal and external forums.

Person Specification

• Proven experience in procurement or purchasing within a healthcare, charity or similar environment.
• Experience of contract management, service agreements and supplier reviews.
• Understands a range of work procedures, including the use of multiple equipment and stock procurement pathways.
• Understanding of health and safety standards relating to stock storage and handling.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Depending on experience £34,000 - £35,000 per annum.